3 — Delegated Duties
Johnathan, after several drinks, was called away to attend to a matter requiring his skills as an intel gatherer. It became clear that overnights were his standard working hours.
Once alone, Daelus managed to track down Kaite. He felt hopeful to find a kindred spirit in her, given their mutual disinterest in the song and dance most delegates seemed compelled to perform for one another.
The conversation was short, unpleasant, and left Daelus regretting the attempt.
Following that, he abandoned any effort to engage with anyone, retreating back to his table and losing himself in thought. The way he was expected to behave here was at odds with his upbringing; he was to be humble, discreet — never draw attention to himself. It was immediately frustrating that this training had put him on the back foot in the new world.
This introspection was interrupted by a distinct chime. He looked up and noticed the room had mostly cleared out. Someone was approaching. It was a slightly familiar face.
The man, as it turned out, was Menzies; the doctor who had attended to Daelus during his crossing over. He invited Daelus to come upstairs to receive his
kit
.
The kit was to be presented in an empty room so quiet Daelus could hear his ears ringing. There was a single table standing in the center, draped in red cloth, with two white cards and a
plaque
.
The plaque read:
Gifts of the Benefactors.
“This feels…
odd
,” Daelus reasoned aloud. The ceremonial aspects clashed with his sensibilities. While the Benefactors' identities were a privileged secret, Daelus had expected things to become at least slightly less opaque once inducted into the delegation.
A part of himself, deep inside, bristled. He had crossed over and they didn’t have the decency or respect to greet him in person.
He quickly made the decision to quash the discomfort. The thought was prideful — arrogant. He decided he still had yet to earn such treatment.
Daelus reaffirmed that he was fully committed to the ideology, even if he presently found the presentation style troubling. He was part of this, and there were certain things he simply had to accept.
He turned the first card over.
Daelus Thresh will curate a museum. This museum will gather within it art, artifacts, and examples of culture from the world over. As curator, he will control the narrative surrounding what it presents in order to influence public perception of the outside world to the people of our nation. This will create national unity and pride.
Daelus stood before the table, dumbfounded. Why was he being made a
museum curator
? He had been an
architect
. He had helped
design
the new world. He had operated—
This
had
to be a mistake.
No. The Benefactors didn't make mistakes, he thought silently. They clearly understood something about himself that he could not yet fathom. He had to trust in their designs.
“It is, nonetheless, a noble calling,” Daelus said in an attempt to soothe his mind. It didn't work.
He turned over the other card.
We grant Daelus Thresh the entourage ability to aid him in his delegated duties. To project an entourage into being, imagine the form of a man able to act in accordance with your intentions. Form a clear and precise command and fill your mind with surety that it can and will obey.
Daelus felt devastatingly frustrated.
This
was the only writing about the ability that the Benefactors allowed? He would need to recalibrate his expectations.
“Well,” he said aloud to the achingly quiet room. “I suppose I may as well
try
.”
Daelus imagined the form of a man.
Nothing
happened.
He reasoned that the steps were intended to be done all at once rather than as an ordered list. He tried again.
He imagined
someone
taking the instructional card from his hand and placing it back on the table exactly as it was before.
With a surprising sensation of ease, it was
so
.
The being standing before him wasn't quite a shadow, but the light in the room didn't quite interact with it as if it was fully
there
. It had a face but it was the kind of visage one might see on a stranger in a dream. He could see something, but as his eyes moved over it, the details changed.
There was something else, too. A
scent
, though Daelus wasn’t quite sure he was actually sensing it through his nose. It was more of a
memory
of a scent.
Daelus’ thoughts turned inwards. He couldn't stop thinking about the idea that a delegate could project their consciousness directly
into
their entourage. Even though it sounded like an advanced technique, he felt himself longing to try it, and didn't want to hesitate for another instant. He began, following the same process as before.
Nothing happened.
Daelus quickly realized that he didn't actually believe it was possible. However, there was no reason to doubt it. So far everything had been just as he had been told it would be. He then realized that he may have even been afraid it
would
be possible. It was a thought that gave him chills.
He took a deep breath, and tried to banish his doubts and his fears. He decided resolutely that he wanted nothing more than
this
, and believed that it would be pos—
—sible.
I saw
myself
standing in front of me and
somehow
the other me and also I were here at the
same time
. The inside of my head felt like — oh
fuck
. The inside of my head felt like an air pressure change, like when a train rushed into a long tunnel. It was
that
but a hundred times more intense. Feeling my heart pounding and head to spinning, I willed it to stop. I
needed
it to stop. I focused on the
surety
that it would
now
st—
—op.
Daelus caught his breath and managed to steady himself against the table, which thankfully was up for the task.
“The
absolute
fuck?” He cursed, near panic from the sensation. “The
literal
fuck–shit was
that
?” His cries echoed through the room. His own voice sounded strange in his ears.
It had
worked,
but the sensation was
overwhelmingly
visceral.
Then Daelus had a second, completely different reaction as he gained his bearings and looked at the entourage.
It was no longer a vague dream–shadow of a shape. It had taken on a form that was remarkably clear, distinct, and detailed. Daelus blinked in disbelief and confusion.
It was a
woman
.